Joseph L Parkes

NASHVILLE - Joseph Leonard Parkes, Sr., 86 years, passed peacefully on April 16, 2020. Known affectionately as “Big Daddy,” (a nickname inherited from his grandfather, E. G. Parkes), Joe served as a bellwether of unselfish commitment, patience, fortitude, and honesty to all who knew him.

Joe was born February 6, 1934, in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to William Parkes and Cleo Harper Parkes. Following a family heritage of hard work and entrepreneurship, Joe’s father William, established Parkes Construction Company in the post-Depression era, building a flourishing company. Unfortunately, the company’s fortunes succumbed when William suffered a heart attack at forty-two. That family tragedy instilled in sixteen-year-old Joe a dream to create his own building business to pass on to his children.

Joe attended Lawrence County High School, where he played center on the football team and dated homecoming queen, Patsy Jane Stotser. Joe matriculated to Vanderbilt University, graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1955. Upon graduation, Joe married Patsy and went to work for the Tennessee State Highway Department, designing bridges across Middle Tennessee, including several along I-440.

In the early 1960’s, Joe joined his childhood friend Jim Gilmore at Coronado Builders, where they focused on building projects for companies, such as The Kroger Company, throughout the Southeast. Joe’s desire to tackle larger projects led him to join another friend, Hall Hardaway, at Hardaway Construction, where he spearheaded industrial design-build operations, and served as Hardaway’s team leader for the original Opryland Hotel. In 1978, with Hall’s blessing, Joe launched R. P. Industries, Inc., with $25,000 of borrowed money, and great faith. It started small, but grew over the years as he patiently taught his three sons, trusting them to contribute to its growth with their individual talents. In 2005, the company reclaimed its namesake as The Parkes Companies, Inc., by which it is know today.

Not only an astute businessman and engineer, Joe was also an avid fisherman. His bass boat was for many years a source of great pride and joy. He was a man of never ending patience; he could fish all day without so much as a nibble and enjoy it nonetheless, a trait most puzzling to his three impatient sons. He loved his wife and treasured their lifelong partnership, both “doing whatever it took” to support each other through good times and bad. He relished smoked cooking, a hobby he shared with his brother and passed to future generations. A man of great faith and spirituality, Joe was a constant at Crievewood Methodist Church, where he kindled life-long friendships with the men in his men’s club, and led adult bible study.

Joe’s personal path was not easy. Choroideremia, a rare hereditary eye disease, claimed his driving capability before age forty, and gradually rendered him blind. In 1997, two weeks before moving his company to a new headquarters in Franklin, he suffered a massive stroke. He spent the last twenty-two years of his life blind, and gradually losing his physical mobility. However, his trademark perseverance stayed him through these personal struggles. His physical life had its limitations, but he cultivated a rich internal life through his voracious appetite for audiobooks. He prized memories of his trips to Europe with Patsy, reflecting upon them often. Despite many challenges, Joe always maintained a big heart, a warm smile, an encouraging word of advice, and a razor-sharp memory.

Above all, Joseph Leonard Parkes, Sr., was an introspective faith-filled man; a man of the highest integrity and enduring patience; a man with a teaching spirit; a man whose door was always open, no matter how busy he was. His even-temper and unshakeable composure in the face of any adversity were examples to all who had the good fortune to know him, to be coached by him, and to be loved by him. His belief was unwavering: “Always do the right thing, even when it hurts. Your name is everything; everything else is nothing.” None of us get to choose our parents, but in the lottery of fathers, his sons will tell you, they hit the jackpot.

Mr. Parkes is preceded in death by parents William and Cleo Harper Parkes, brother William Parkes, Jr., and sister, Florence Ellen Parkes. He is survived by his loving and supportive wife of 63 years, Patsy Stotser Parkes; children Joe Parkes (Gale), Gary Parkes, David Parkes (Jennifer); grandchildren Matt Parkes (Millie), Clay Parkes (Bridget), Drew Parkes (Caroline), Ashley Parkes, Marissa Parkes, Alexander Parkes, and Genevieve Parkes; great-grandchildren Ava Parkes, Maddox Parkes, Brandt Parkes, and Brooks Parkes.

The Parkes family gives special thanks to the excellent staff at NHC Cool Springs who cared for Joe for the last four years, and most especially to Lynette Wilson, who in addition to Patsy, has been Joe’s caregiver, and a cherished member of the family for over twenty-two years.

Gifts in Joe’s memory may be made to Crievewood United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee, and the Choroideremia Research Foundation, Springfield, Massachusetts. A private family service and burial will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery in the coming week. A public celebration of Joe’s life will be announced at a later date, when circumstances permit.